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Neighborhood Alliance (2025) Print
2025 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Disaster Resilience
└ Disaster Preparedness
└ Disaster Preparedness
Older adults in Lorain County often lacked disaster preparedness resources and faced transportation barriers that made it hard to get emergency supplies. Neighborhood Alliance used its Mobile Seniors program to deliver customized preparedness kits directly to these residents, including essential items and guidance from the county emergency management agency. Community partners and volunteers added supplies, expanding the effort. The kits increased safety and confidence, and one recipient said, "For the first time, I feel like I have a plan..." The program also strengthened ongoing wellness checks and created a model that can continue through community support.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Brevard, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Disaster Preparedness
Description: After Hurricane Helene, many residents, including older adults, continued to experience emotional strain while also recognizing how unprepared they had been for the disaster. Recovery efforts largely focused on physical damage, leaving fewer opportunities to address grief, anniversary reactions and survivor guilt. City of Brevard hosted in-person workshops that combined hands-on disaster preparedness with guided conversations about emotional recovery. Participants received starter emergency kits and clear checklists while learning how emotional health connects to preparedness. A documentary film captured local voices and lessons from the storm, extending the reach of the workshops. Many participants reported plans to assemble go-bags and organize documents, and the film is now being reused as a training resource to support longer-term community resilience.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Los Angeles, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Disaster Preparedness
Description: Multiple workshops will provide disaster preparedness and recovery training for wildfire‑affected areas. The project will coordinate education with existing recovery efforts.
Glenwood, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Disaster Preparedness
Description: Glenwood faced rising wildfire threats that left many older adults unsure how to evacuate or prepare their homes, a serious concern in a rural area with limited resources. Mt. Adams Resource Stewards held a "Wildfire Town Hall" where residents signed up for emergency alerts, learned home hardening steps and asked questions of the fire chief. They also created a durable preparedness brochure featuring an evacuation map, a kit checklist and local support links, placing it in high-traffic spots for ongoing access. The brochure's wide distribution and the Town Hall conversations are expected to prompt more residents to take practical steps that strengthen local readiness, and the group plans follow-up events to sustain momentum.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Lorain, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project made improvements to Falbo Park, including adding a 20- by 20-foot shade awning, a large glider swing and an additional shade structure featuring a trellis for vines to climb. The City of Lorain designed these enhancements to make Falbo Park a space for intergenerational physical activity, play and community-building. The park hosted activities and provided solace to residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project sparked other tangible changes to Falbo Park. In 2021, the City added a butterfly garden to attract pollinators. They also installed accessible bench-style swings in other parts of town, including at the local outdoor concert venue.
Lorain, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Transportation Other
Description: The project will install a sidewalk connecting overflow parking to a riverfront event space. The new path will keep pedestrians, mostly age 50-plus, out of traffic during busy concert seasons.
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